You may remember that there were hearings last month in support of a bill that would have banned the use of cruel bullhooks in the entire state of California. And no bullhooks means less pain and suffering for elephants in circuses or on the sets of commercials or movies, so it is a super important piece of legislation. It was supported not only by PETA, but essentially the entire animal protection community. The only animal advocacy group who sided with the circus industry in opposing the bullhook ban was the American Humane Association (AHA). I wonder if AHA is more concerned about protecting the film industry, and the huge contributions they receive to monitor films, than the animals they are supposed to protect. . . .

Anyway, here’s the letter we sent the AHA’s board of directors asking them wtf is up. The bill is still in committee and can still be called up for a vote, so for the elephants’ sake, here’s hoping the AHA come to their senses and get behind it . . .

We caught up with Weeds star Kevin Nealon last week to shoot a little PSA in our veggie testimonial series, in which vegetarian celebrities talk about what got them to make the switch to a meatless diet. At the end of the shoot, Kevin wanted to take a few moments to talk about the ridiculous kangaroo-leather bill—SB 880—that's ominously making its way through the legislature in his home state of California. He also took the opportunity to finally speak openly about his deep-seated fears about driving in reverse. If you're from California, and you share Kevin's distaste for anti-kangaroo legislation, you can take action here. If you also share his phobia about driving backwards, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help you.

I'm sure the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie is going to be pretty great and all, but do they let you choose how the story ends? I didn't think so. And it probably doesn't even have a talking British monkey in it. Fortunately, PETA has come to the rescue again, and, with the new Pirates movie coming out today, it's just in the nick of time. A few credits first—as Nicole (who did the voice of the Nugget) said she would never speak to me again if I didn't mention her. The rest of the fine voice work was done by Dale, Dan, and yours truly as the monkey. Check it out.

If you live in Chicago, this is especially important for you, because Mayor Richard Daley and Alderman Ed Burke are working hard to repeal one of the most important animal protection laws ever passed, the Chicago foie gras ban. Meat-industry lobbyists are putting enormous pressure on Chicago's aldermen to repeal the law, and the aldermen may vote any day on whether or not to repeal the ban.

For those not familiar with it, foie gras is a “delicacy” made by shoving pipes down the throats of ducks and geese in order to pump massive quantities of fat and grain into their stomachs until their livers become painfully diseased. The ducks are then violently killed, and their bloated, diseased livers are sold as foie gras. Foie gras is so cruel it has already been banned in 15 nations—including the U.K., Germany, Israel, and Switzerland—as well as in the state of California. Even many grocery stores, including Whole Foods, refuse to sell foie gras.

If you live in Chicago, please click here to find out how you can help keep this horribly cruel product banned in your city.

We’re also currently blitzing Chicago TV stations with this ad featuring Sir Roger Moore, the best 007 ever . . .

Ladell Betts: Badass

I'm no football expert, and this isn't exactly a sports blog, but I thought I'd start off the day with three great reasons why Ladell Betts should start instead of Clinton Portis as the Washington Redskins Running Back this year:

1. Ladell Betts doesn't have a chronic shoulder injury.
2. Ladell Betts knows how to follow his blockers.
3. Ladell Betts doesn't frickin' come out on national television and defend animal abuse.

For those of you who haven't heard about that last part yet, here's what Portis said to reporters about the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal:

Clinton Portis: Joker

Clinton, buddy, I stuck by you through your lousy, injury-ridden season last year, but I think this may be the end of the road for us. There's a great article about the story on Fox Sports, which you can check out here. And you can watch a little bit more about what dogfighting is all about here. I'm thinking Portis should be made to review that video while the rest of the team is watching game tape next year.

I'm not sure how many people heard about the “Compassionate Business” Award that PETA gave Mark Mayes, owner of Monte Carlo Cleaners in Scottsdale, AZ, last week, so I wanted to mention it here. Mark received the award for instituting a unique policy of refusing to accept items made of leather, fur and angora rabbit wool, proving that compassion and good business go hand in hand. If you live anywhere near Scottsdale, make sure to give Mark your business, he sure deserves it. Monte Carlo Cleaners is located here. And if you could use a guide to compassionate clothing, check it out here. Thanks Mark, you’re a superstar to all of us.

The voting has officially opened. Last year, Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell took home the coveted prize of World's Sexiest Female Vegetarian, and Prince beat out some of the best-looking dudes in Hollywood to win the award for the guys. According to my source over in our Vegetarian Campaigns department, Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia has taken an early lead in the voting, and Bryce Dallas Howard, who's starring in this summer's Spiderman 3—which, if the box office numbers are anything to go by, everyone in the country has seen a couple of times already—is currently inching ahead in the votes for the ladies.

Remember, it's not that meat-eaters can't be sexy. It's just that they could be sexier. You can pick your favorite vegetarian celebrity by clicking here. I will be voting for Alyssa Milano. Multiple times. Just FYI.

Mercy for Animals, an animal rights group based in Ohio, has just released video footage of an undercover investigation into a House of Raeford Farms slaughterhouse in North Carolina. House of Raeford Farms, which is one of the biggest turkey processors in the country and supplies companies such as Denny’s and Arby’s, turned 250 million pounds of live turkeys into dead turkeys in 2006 and raked in about 276 million bucks for their efforts. If this video is anything to go by, they're not putting an awful lot of that money back into animal welfare. But, as Mercy for Animals point out on their website, the workers responsible for the abuse can't even be charged under federal law, because the USDA's Humane Slaughter Act doesn't protect turkeys and chickens. The blasé attitude towards unbearable suffering and the outright sadism that you can see on this video turns up again and again and again when one of these hellholes is exposed, but you can bet that the poultry industry is going to act like this is an isolated incident and do everything they can to fight the PR fallout, and the absolute bare minimum to correct the abuses this investigation has uncovered. There are hundreds of great reasons for going vegetarian, but honestly, this is the only one you'll ever need:

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if hundreds of dogs took over a brewpub? Well, people in Portland, OR, found out yesterday, at the annual Portland “Pug Crawl”, a benefit for the Oregon Humane Society. The event was basically a traditional pub crawl, but dogs were invited along as well.

Cute Overload eat your heart out.

This little guy’s outfit served two purposes, it protected him from the ever present Portland drizzle, and was a great entree into conversations about KFC cruelty.

Thanks to Donna from Portland for the pics and “Pug Crawl” report.

Like most serious Redskins fans, I have sworn a solemn oath never to say something nice about a Dallas Cowboy, which—as you can imagine—makes this extremely difficult for me. But the unavoidable fact of the matter is that PETA is giving a much-deserved award to Leonard Davis, a Cowboys offensive lineman who went out of his way to rescue a stranded horse when he discovered the animal stuck belly-deep in mud near his home. Evidently, our heroic horse-rescuer noticed that the horse, Ranger, was stuck in a sinkhole across the street, rushed to fasten straps around the animal, then used his John Deere tractor to pull him free from the mud. Davis then hosed Ranger down, as neighbors and emergency responders looked on. To thank him for going above and beyond to save Ranger's life, PETA has given the Cowboys guard its “Compassionate Action” Award, along with a gift basket and a letter of appreciation. Leonard Davis, you're a badass. And now, just because I feel like it, here's a picture of LaVar Arrington ending Troy Aikman's career.